Sea Legs
by Faerax
Summary: Ever wonder why Duke can't settle on just one woman? Maybe he has, and it's not the one you're thinking of. Duke POV


Title: Sea Legs

Authors: Faerax

Series: Sea Life

Spoilers: Haven season 1

Setting: During Season 1, Summer

Disclaimer: Haven, Duke, Audrey, and Nathan belong to Steven King/the Syfy channel.

Summary: Ever wonder why Duke can't settle on just one woman? Maybe he has, and it's not the one you're thinking of. Duke POV

Authors' notes: Inspired by a forum post that pointed out that there were not ghosts in the upper stories of a building the opening credits, and neoxphile, who, when told what the figures were, asked why that would be. This was written way back in Feb, and I forgot to post it until now, when I saw something very interesting in the season 2 episode 7 promos. Not part of the other series.

The water was cold, even at high summer. Still, it was a refreshing change. As I surfaced I took a moment to wonder why water in the air, humidity, was so miserable but water in the ocean was soothing. Probably because water in the ocean wasn't trying to steam you like a clam, at least not in Haven.

The water coaxed and teased me, daring me to submerge again. I tasted the salt as I licked my lips, feeling that they were slightly chapped. A few hundred feet away my boat was anchored. Ostensibly, I was setting lobster traps to bring in a fresh catch to the Gull. Though I wasn't a commercial fisherman by any means, I did keep some traps on board and hand set about half of them before I was seduced by the ocean's siren song.

The sunset had been unusually colorful, promising the next dawn would fair. I was well beyond the reach of Haven's harbor and had watched twilight paint the sky from east to west as I had continued to set traps. As the sun began a slow decent through the pine trees just visible on the Knot, I had given in to the longing I'd felt all day. I quickly stripped until only the sweat on my skin was between the air and I. The wind had picked up slightly as the sun had set. The angry, sullen air spirits seemed to resent my preference to their sister and tried to keep me from her in a last desperate act. However, it would take more than a slight breeze to keep me from laying with the old gray widow maker tonight.

When I hit the water, the change was nearly instantaneous. I spilt the water with my hands, and enjoyed the sea's embrace. She buoyed me up, ensuring I stayed near the surface until I'd once again become used to the transition. Through her jeweled gown of waves, I saw the moon rise high and take celestial dominance as the sun fled over the horizon. The night was ours to do with as we wished.

I pulled myself to the surface, enjoying the feel of my arm and back muscles straining against the water. On land or in air, movement was too quick. It felt jerky, and erratic, like a bird's quick motions. In the water movement took studied grace and strength. The ocean wanted strong and disciplined life within it. She rewarded those that flailed and jerked with a few watery gasps and eternal sleep, unless rescued by someone who understood her. I liked to think I understood her as well as any man may. In turn, she rewarded me ten fold with nights like this, when she shared her bounty freely with those gifted few who embraced her in body and soul, the last descendents of the Sabawaelnu, the Halfway People.

For the longest time, the ocean and I played, frolicked, and loved one another. She laved tender kisses on my skin when I surfaced and I embraced her, diving deeper and deeper to see if I could find the bed rock on which she stood. A sense of contentment filled and fulfilled me as I continued to court the queen of my heart. Briefly I wanted to share this with Audrey, but she would only label me as Troubled or Afflicted. This could not be farther from the truth; this was ecstasy in its rawest and most pure form. This was the antithesis of those poor retched souls trapped forever on land, who had forgotten that their ancestors, too, had once lived and been blessed by the love of the Atlantic.

Audrey was destined to calm their turbulent hearts, but she could do nothing for mine. Mine was not agitated. That didn't keep me from being drawn to her, though. I know she sensed I was different, but she didn't know why. I suspect she put it down to me being the only Buddhist in an otherwise Christian town. I wondered what she would do if she knew the truth, that all these problems were from people that generations ago spurned the ocean's gifts and guardians, and had failed to show her the respect due to her and them.

Most of the halfway people had been driven from these shores, taking their songs and storm warnings in the 1700s. An angry few had remained singing up horrible storms to rain vengeance down on the Micmac and white settlers. Those that had a trace of the bloodlines from that time generally found themselves in Haven, the last place anyone had seen the Sabawaelnu. Most of them still carried the curses of my distant ancestors. I, and a rare few, carried their blessings. My mother had told me that long, long ago a young man of the Sabawaelnu loved a Micmac woman enough to give her a child. I enjoyed the blessings from that long ago union.

Dawn was not far off now, and I knew I should leave the water, but I didn't want to. My webbed fingers pulled me through the playful currents with a grace my human form never managed in the sea's unfeeling sister, air. My flukes propelled me through the waves with surety and speed I could never know on land. The dorsal fin on my lower back allowed me to turn with more agility and speed in the water. It was harder to bring water over my gills and into my lungs, but left me feeling pleased with the exertion. This was the gift of the Sabawaelnu, the half man, half fish people that had once lived in the waters here. The gifts that allowed me free access to the ocean, and to all that she loved.

This is also why I rarely gave into to my love of the sea, because I never want to leave her. After a night like this one, who would want to go back to land? All the treasures and mysteries of the ocean were mine to know. This night I had sang with humpbacks, and greeted an old right whale, and even heard a mighty finback calling through the waters. I'd chased fish back and forth across the sea floor with dolphins. The seals and I danced in the starlight. All that awaited me on land were an angry police officer who couldn't decide if he was my friend or enemy, Audrey, and a town that kept more secrets than I did.

I dove down again eschewing common sense and responsibility. I imagine if anyone saw me they'd rub their eyes and decide I was just another Harbor porpoise or white sided dolphin. Perhaps one day that would be what I would become, just another sea creature in the mysterious ocean, found washed up on shore one day from the depths, like the Colorado Kid. In 27 years, someone would wonder about me, and then shrug, much as they do today when confronted with the Kid's mystery.

I came about reluctantly and headed back to my boat as dawn started to extinguish the stars. I dove deeply, and used all my strength to jump up out of the sea and onto the deck of my boat. For a moment I writhed on the wood like a fish, unable to breath the air until I willed the transformation back into a human's form and forced the sea water from my body. I wobbled as I stood upon two legs, and nearly fell when the ocean decided to toss my boat lightly. It always took longer to come back to being a man then it did to transform into Sabawaelnu-like form. After a few moments, though, I found my sea legs again. I wished again, briefly, that Audrey could know and understand this, and mourned that such a land bound creature would never understand the allure of the sea. I knew that I couldn't love Audrey the way I wanted to, nor could she ever love me the way I would need her to in order to stay with her. After all, what is the mere and fleeting love of a mortal woman when compared to the love of the sea?


End file.
